The Auburn Observer

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After a nine-month hiatus, the Friends of the Program get back together to discuss Auburn basketball’s meteoric rise to No. 1 in the country and set the stage for this weekend’s epic matchup against Tennessee inside Neville Arena.

Dave, Pablo and Painter talk all things Auburn basketball, from what makes this team so special and where they see the Tigers…

Justin and Dan break down Auburn basketball's close win at Georgia and what was a wild weekend in the SEC — and across the country.

The guys start with what caused the last-minute chaos for an Auburn team that looked like it had the game already won. They then switch over to yet another big-game performance from Tahaad Pettiford and the bounce-back effort from Chad Baker-Mazara. Justin diagnoses the absence of Johni Broome and what it means to the Tigers’ offense. Dan makes a point about Turtle Hudson.

Towards the end of the episode, the guys go through the results from Saturday in SEC basketball — including Alabama’s road win at Kentucky and Vanderbilt’s upset over Tennessee. They close by paying tribute to Bob Uecker and David Lynch.

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Photo Credit: Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.auburnobserver.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.auburnobserver.com

Justin and Dan open the show with a couple of special podcast announcements, including the release of the second Peck Pack Exclusive — which is in Observer subscribers’ podcast feeds now. Then they look at Auburn basketball’s impressive win over Mississippi State in the Tigers’ first game without Johni Broome.

The guys talk about Chad Baker-Mazara’s hot start and elite efficiency as a scorer. They look at how Auburn’s defense dominated against Mississippi State and how Chaney Johnson continues to step up whenever the Tigers need him the most. They also give Miles Kelly, Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones their deserved flowers for their two-way performances against the Bulldogs.

Towards the end of the episode, they look ahead to Auburn basketball’s road trip at Georgia — a team with a strong frontcourt and a fearsome defense this season. They close with thoughts on Girl Scout cookies and The Blues Brothers.

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Photo Credit: Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

Justin and Dan open the show by looking at Johni Broome’s ankle sprain against South Carolina and what it might mean for Auburn basketball moving forward in SEC play. The guys break down why the Tigers were able to rally to a victory without Broome, starting with the defensive excellence of an undermanned frontcourt.

Tahaad Pettiford’s late-game heroics and Miles Kelly’s continued success in true road games take center stage later in the episode, along with a breakdown of what has gone wrong for Auburn’s defense early in SEC play. The guys also look at the rest of the results from Saturday across the league, including Alabama and Kentucky getting huge wins away from home with their stellar offenses.

The episode ends with a preview of what Mississippi State will bring to Neville Arena on Tuesday night, particularly in the two-man game of Josh Hubbard and Cameron Matthews. The guys also talk about killing time in hotel rooms and what to do when you’re snowed inside them.

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Follow Dan (@dnpck) and Justin (@JFergusonAU) on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.auburnobserver.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.auburnobserver.com

Justin and Dan open the show by looking at how Auburn was able to build a big lead and narrowly hold onto it for a road win at Texas. Justin looks at how the Tigers’ defense started well and finished much differently. Dan points out the continued excellence of Johni Broome and the much-needed surge from Miles Kelly.

The guys then talk about Bruce Pearl getting his record-breaking win at Auburn and what he’s meant to the program — and college basketball as a whole — during his tenure on the Plains. They switch over to preview Saturday’s matchup at South Carolina, which has struggled against Auburn recently and struggled to start SEC play.

They close out by looking at some new additions to both the Auburn football roster and coaching staff and what the early outlook might be for the Tigers in 2025. Justin then gives his brisket and basketball breakdown of his first trip to Austin.

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Justin and Dan break down what they learned from Auburn basketball’s comfortable victory in the SEC opener against Missouri. They look at how well the host Tigers shot the ball, why their issues during the game didn’t about to much and where this team could get even better moving forward. Dan makes some historical comparisons to this squad. Justin shares why Auburn’s defense was very impressive in the win.

The guys then take a trip around the SEC to look at all the games from an opening Saturday in the conference, starting with the high-scoring thriller in Rupp Arena between Florida and Kentucky. They look at a team that isn’t getting nearly enough love in the league and a few programs that got a stiff reality check.

The episode ends with a preview of Auburn’s first-ever trip to face Texas in SEC play. The guys look at what makes this Texas roster so unique and where Auburn might be able to take advantage with its battle-tested experience on the road.

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Photo Credit: Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.auburnobserver.com/subscribe

Justin and Dan open the show with some random nonsense before diving into Auburn basketball’s non-conference finale victory over Monmouth. The guys discuss the late first-half surge from Chaney Johnson, the excellent play of Chad Baker-Mazara and the utter dominance from the Tigers’ centers.

Then the freshman duo of Jahki Howard and Tahaad Pettiford get their own segment after their all-timer alley-oops. The guys also look ahead to just how incredibly tough the SEC will be this season and how it measures up to conferences of the past.

The episode ends with a discussion of what Auburn football has been able to do in the transfer portal, what it all means for 2025, the potential return of Jeffrey M’ba to the Plains and — somehow — the name “Wow Platinum.” Happy New Year, y’all.

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Follow Dan (@dnpck) and Justin (@JFergusonAU) on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.auburnobserver.com/subscribe

Justin and Dan recap Auburn basketball’s comfortable win over yet another NCAA Tournament hopeful away from home in a Quad 1 game. They start by looking at how impressive the Tigers have been in a non-conference slate that was by far the toughest in program history and how far ahead the team is from the pack right now.

The guys break down Johni Broome’s remarkable double-double less than 100 hours from a rough-looking shoulder injury, Auburn’s suffocating defense against a great Purdue offense and the standout performances of Chad Baker-Mazara, Tahaad Pettiford and Johni Broome.

Towards the end of the episode, they talk about Charles Kelly’s departure to become Jacksonville State’s new head coach and the irritating discourse around the first round of the College Football Playoff. Dan makes his pitch for The War for the Wiregrass. Justin gives his top nine albums of the year. Merry Christmas.

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Follow Dan (@dnpck) and Justin (@JFergusonAU) on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.auburnobserver.com/subscribe

Justin and Dan break down Auburn basketball’s ultra-dominant performance in Atlanta against Ohio State in this year’s Holiday Hoopsgiving.

The guys start by looking at what made this victory so impressive and why the Tigers have cemented themselves as the nation’s current No. 1 team — no matter what the human polls might say. They look at Johni Broome’s 20/20 game and marvel at how it could have been even better. Then they go into all the elements of what made Auburn’s backcourt so successful against Ohio State’s loaded guard lineup.

Then it’s a switch over to football, where Auburn football has picked up a new quarterback in Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold. They discuss the pros and the cons of this transfer pickup for the Tigers and look at a pair of further additions to the roster. (Note: This was recorded before Auburn landed offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin.)

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Follow Dan (@dnpck) and Justin (@JFergusonAU) on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.auburnobserver.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.auburnobserver.com

Justin and Dan preview Auburn basketball’s Atlanta matchup against Ohio State in the annual Holiday Hoopsgiving event at State Farm Arena. The guys start by looking at how the Buckeyes line up offensively — particularly with their strong backcourt — and where the Tigers need to focus the most on the defensive side.

Then it’s a switch over to Auburn’s hig…